Children need to stay safe in disasters

Human beings and the natural environment are on a potential collision course.

It is now beyond doubt that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, and is having a profound effect on the lives and livelihoods of people in the most disadvantaged communities, especially children who are disproportionately affected by disasters.

Natural disasters destroy infrastructure, schools, agricultural productions and in poor countries can leave people dependent on aid – years of development work is wiped out in hours. Rich countries however are not immune to the devastating impacts of disasters. So far in Australia this year, we have witnessed the devastating effects of floods, bushfires and cyclone, which has tested the resilience of the Australian people.

In April, Treasurer Wayne Swan produced a forecast showing the economic cost of floods and cyclone Yasi topping $9 billion – a hard pill to swallow by any standards.

While disasters strike both rich and poor countries, the impact of them on developing countries like Haiti and Pakistan is often greater. And in these developing countries children are frequently among the most vulnerable of the vulnerable following disaster.

The fact is that during, say, an earthquake or tsunami, children are exposed to greater danger since they may not know when to flee or where to go; they can easily become separated from their parents and families; and they may not understand what is happening and become psychologically distressed.

The heart wrenching truth is that more than half of those who are affected or die in disasters are children. But it need not be that way. Although it is impossible to prevent natural hazards like cyclones and floods occurring, we can mitigate their impacts on children, families and communities.

For that to happen children must be seen as part of the solution to the problems posed by disasters, and as key to knowledge dissemination throughout a community.

Consider this stunning story of survival from tsunami-affected Japan recounted to a member of Save the Children's emergency response team in a coastal town called Onagawa this March. When six-year old Suzunosukefelt the earthquake he remembered from lessons at school that there were was a risk that a tsunami would follow. He immediately alerted his father to that risk and, heeding the warning, his father gathered up the family and ran up the hill to safety. Hundreds died in Onagawa, but Suzunosuke's family survived because he knew the dangers and what action to take.

Make no mistake about it. Children have a valuable part to play in times of disaster. Ignore them at your peril

The relationship between climate change and disasters has surfaced as a key concern among the international community. AusAID has been one of the most prominent supporters of disaster risk reduction activities recognising that, "Disasters are most likely to affect the poorest people and that climate change is worsening their impacts and can set back progress towards the Millennium Development Goals". In fact the Australian Government is one of the few donors in the world that have a specific disaster risk reduction policy in support of their aid program.

Like us, AusAID recognize that investing in disaster risk reduction saves lives, protects development gains and is cost effective.

Hardly surprising since there is ample evidence that investment in disaster risk reduction yields economic and development benefits. The United Nations estimate that for every $1 invested in risk management before the onset of a disaster, $7 of losses can be prevented. According to the World Bank, economic losses worldwide during the nineties could have been reduced by $280 billion if $40 billion has been invested in mitigation and preparedness.

For a long time now we have put children at the centre of disaster risk reduction activities – recognising both the specific vulnerabilities children face from disasters and their inherent capacities to ensure children are appropriately considered in disaster risk reduction programs and policies.

Recent research by Children in a Changing Climate Coalition found children in disaster prone countries named safer school buildings as a top priority in emergencies. The research by Save the Children, World Vision and Plan International involved more than 600 children in 21 countries and identified education, child protection and access to basic information among the main needs to reduce the devastating impact of disasters and climate change upon their families and communities.

It is this message from children I take this week to a United Nations conference in Geneva on Disaster Risk Reduction. At the conference I will call for government, donors and agencies to adopt a child centred approach to disaster risk reduction in order to protect children before, during and after a disaster.

For me the lesson is a clear one. In order to ensure that every child survives a disaster we must listen to their voice and include them in our plans to lessen the effects of disasters on vulnerable communities.